come off

British  

verb

1. (also preposition) to fall (from), losing one's balance

2. to become detached or be capable of being detached

3. (preposition) to be removed from (a price, tax, etc)

   will anything come off income tax in the budget?

4. (copula) to emerge from or as if from a trial or contest

   he came off the winner

5. informal to take place or happen

6. informal to have the intended effect; succeed

   his jokes did not come off

7. slang to have an orgasm

8. informal stop trying to fool me!

---

come off Idioms  

1. Happen, occur, as in The trip came off on schedule . [Early 1800s]

2. Acquit oneself, reach the end. This usage always includes a modifier, as in Whenever challenged he comes off badly , or This model is doomed to come off second-best . [Mid-1600s]

3. Succeed, as in Our dinner party really came off . [Mid-1800s]

4. See come off it .

---

Example Sentences

“I want to emphasize the importance of the players who come off the bench,” De la Fuente said after the Portugal game.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026

However, Saibari was forced to come off after 22 minutes with a hamstring issue during Morocco's 3-0 win against co-hosts Canada in the last 16.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026

While the odds still favor Fed rate hikes for 2026, they’ve come off peak levels recently, Goldberg said, adding that Warsh’s mention of fading inflation expectations was notable.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026

For SpaceX, a lot of stock will come off lockup and Wall Street will pick up coverage for the first time.

From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026

As far as Percy could see, none of the giants’ spectacular plans for destruction had come off successfully.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• go off
• go over
• pan out